Power bars are an important part of any type of multiple electrically powered household or business wiring. Power bars provide a user with more outlets than the usual two provided in an electrical wall socket. Presently, there are two related prior art power bars on the market. The first is a typical power bar which normally contains 4 to 6 power outlets. The power bar usually has a built-in master switch that turns power on or off to all outlets. Therefore, to turn on or off all power a user must physically reach the power bar, typically located on the floor, to access the master switch. Alternatively, if the user wants to selectively turn off separate devices, the user must directly access the power switch of each separate device.
The second prior art product is a power bar which has a separate built-in switch for each power outlet and a master power switch as disclosed in U.S Pat. No. 5,250,851. This power bar allows a user to selectively switch off power to a desired electrical device. However, these power bars (or power boxes) are quite bulky and quite heavy so as to support the weight of a CRT monitor. Also, all power cables must be attached to the back of the power bar which, typically sits on a desktop. The manufacture and purchase cost of such a device is quite significant.